
Following his riding through Provence, Napoléon was to rule a mere hundred days, ending with the battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815.
Some two hundred years ago in Volonne, a village located 60 kilometres upriver from Cadarache, a villager engraved a stone plaque to commemorate what he considered a major historical event. The plaque read: "Eishi lou 5 de mars 1815 Napoleon 1É P.P." Although it is written in Provençal—only few people in Provence spoke French at the time—it is quite easy to translate, except for the last two letters, which are rather cryptic: What did Emperor Napoléon do in Volonne on 5 March 1815? Well, he passed through the village—that's the first "P" — and he urinated on the wall—that's the second "P".